Police in Oakland said Sunday that the department will add tactical teams to address a recent uptick in violent crime in the city.
"Several tactical teams will support the patrol officers who are responding to armed caravans, illegal sideshows and other violent crimes. The tactical teams are highly skilled in de-escalating incidents," police said on social media Sunday afternoon.
Last week, a security guard was fatally shot in an attempted armed robbery of a news crew in downtown Oakland.
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Retired police officer Kevin Nishita was working a security detail for a local news crew on Nov. 24, when he was shot during an attempted robbery at about 12:19 p.m. in the 300 block of 14th Street.
Nishita was taken to a local hospital and remained in critical condition until Saturday, when he died of his injuries. The death is Oakland's 126th homicide this year.
This also comes after the death of Eric Davis, 28, over the weekend near Lake Merritt who was killed while trying to stop someone from breaking into cars.
“He was our heart,” said Katryna Hooker, mother of Davis. “Cared about everybody, tried to protect everybody.”
Davis moved to Oakland two years ago and worked for a restoration company doing construction.
Before, he was heavily involved in the new Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Inglewood. Teaching bible study and coaching kids in basketball.
He was trying to make it on his own – and lived near Lake Merritt.
“We really thought [lake merritt] was a good place for him,” said aunt Karen Holt. “He didn’t deserve to lose his life and the violence has to stop.”
Oakland police said a passenger inside a Toyota Rav4 shot Davis. A $10,000 reward is being offered from crimestoppers for information in the case.
Now his family is also pleading for help.
“We just wanted to ask for the public’s help with locating the suspects who murdered a kind loving son,” said Holt.
Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong will give an update on the investigation Tuesday. He’ll also talk about the call for more staffing – and how his department is using tactical units to respond to certain crimes.
Mayor Libby Schaaf and city councilmembers say they’ll support stopping some police budget cuts while continuing to invest in violence prevention measures.
Councilmember Loren Taylor said, “We have to demonstrate our support for those officers who are sacrificing daily to keep our community safe and while at the same time replenishing the ranks that exist.”
